Automatic fire-extinguisher.



No. 677,7I6. Patented luly 2, |90l.

G. VW. .THOMPSON. AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHEB.

uppumion med .my 27, 1900.)

(No Model.)

mlmffmml W/TNESSES /N VEN TOR ,l /r f 'l 6. W. Zwywow l l la ByA77'0HNEYS UNITED STATES GEORGE WILSON THOMPSON, OF NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,716, dated July 2,1901.

Application led July 27, 1900. Serial No. 25,052. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatl, GEORGE WILSON THOMP- SON, residing at Nashville, inthe county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new andImproved Automatic Fire- Extinguishenof which the following is aspecification.

Myinvention is an improvement in stationary fire extinguishers andalarms in which air and water pipes are distributed throughout abuilding and provided with sprinklers that may be opened manually orautomatically when subjected to a comparatively low degree of heat.

The invention relates more particularly to the mechanism forautomatically operating the valves that control admission of Water tosuch pipes, the latter being normally filled with air under apredetermined degree of pressure, which beinglowered by opening one ormore sprinklers the aforesaid mechanism opens the water-supply valve andallows Water to flowinto and fill the airpipes and discharge from suchsprinklers as were previously opened.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple but sensitive andperfectly-reliable valve-controlling mechanism that can he adj usted tooperate under any fixed water-pressure, so that' the invention isadapted for structures of any height. The mechanism may he set tooperate-t'. e., to turn on Water-at any determined variation between theair and Water pressure in the respective pipes, and the water may thusbe caused to discharge at the location of the re.

The details of construction, arrangement, combination, and operation ofparts are as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front or side view of the preferred formof my apparatus, excluding the alarm attachment. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the airand water valve mechanism. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sec-v tion on line 4 4of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side View of the valve-case at right angles tothat shown in Fig. l. Y

As shown in Fig. l, the air-pipe A and water-pipe B are connected by abox or casing C, in which trip-valve mechanism is located, as shown inFigs. 2, 3, and 4. Stop-cocks b guiar sections c and c'.

`pipe A is normally charged with air under pressure. The water-pipe BeXtends,-in practice, to a suit-able source of supply, so that there isa certain degree of pressure maintained therein.

The box or casing O is made in two rectan- These sections open into eachother and into the pipes A and B.

Section c contains the air-valve D, and the lower section c contains thewater-valve E. The valve D seats upon a gasket and covers an openingin apartition forming the bottom ot section c, and valve E is similarlyseated at the bottom of section c and covers the top ot' pipe B.

The air-valve D has a central vertical screwstem F, and the water-valveE has a similar screw-stem F. These screw-stems are in verticalalinement, and their conical heads bear upon horizontal levers G and G,which are arranged one under the other and fulcrumed on each other andalso on opposite projections g g' of the casing O. By rotating and thusadjusting the screw-stems F and F they may be made to bear upon thelevers G G', as required. By using levers G of different lengths thepoint of contact or fulcrum of the lever Gr on the upper lever G will bechanged with the like alteration of the leverage, so that the amount ofair-pressure required to resist the water-pressure Will be variedcorrespondingly.

There are four webs o2 in the upper part of casing-section c, which areset around the valve D and project inward over the same, so that theyprevent the valve closing the entrance to the air-pipe as the valverises. They also serve as points of attachment and support of fourpendent hooks H, whose free ends rest against the sides of the Valvewhen closed. When the valve D rises, the hooks H swing under it bygravity, and thus pre- IOO vent it reclosing. Thus the apparatusoperates automatically and with certainty and high efficiency. The lowervalve E is similarly caught and held suspended by hooks J If now asprinkler-head in an apartment be opened, either manually or by effectof abnormal heat, the air-pressure in pipe A and its connections will beinstantly lowered, so that when reduced to less than ten'pounds thewater becomes the stronger force, pushing up the valves e and I) andfulcru m-levers G and G. The entire operation is immediate Withoutchattering or possibility of reclosing the valves save manually. ThusWater is admitted from pipe B into pipe system A in full force andvolume, driving out the contained air and escaping` at such sprinklerhead or heads as may be open.

Unsnally in other air and water pressure systems of this class the flowis slow at first, the releasing-valve often chattering and tend ing toreclose. In my system there is no possibility of reclosing exceptmanually, no chattering, and a full volume of Water is admittedinstantly.

To prepare the apparatus for operation, the air-valve D is set in place,after which airpressure is applied byopening` cock b. Then thewater-valve E and the levers G and G are set in place, the screws F andI1" being turned up to press the fulcrum endsof said levers againsttheir respective points of contact, after which Water is admitted byopening the cock h. The valve and lever adjustment are duly inspectedand fully tested before the face-plates of the casingsections are boltedin place.

I/Vhat I claim is- I. In a stationary fire-extinguisher, the combinationwith air and water pipes, and a connecting casing or box, of two valves,arranged therein, for normally closing the respective pipes, and movablevertically, and

levers fulcrumed and interposed between the valves, and havingadjustable bearings for contact with said levers, substantially as shownand described.

2. In a stationary fire-extinguisher, the combination with air and waterpipes and a connecting casing or box, of valves arranged in the latterand normally closing the respective pipes, interposed levers'andscrew-stems working in said valves and bearing onthe respective levers,as shown and described.

3. In a stationary hre-extinguisher, the combination, with the air andWater pipes and connecting-casing having interior projections in itsupper portion which serve as valve-stops, of a valve arranged in thelatter, and gravity-hooks hung over the valve so that their free beveledends are in the path ofthe vertical movement of said valve forautomatically engaging it as it rises, and holding the 4same suspendedYin contact with the said projections or stops, as shown and described.

it. In a stationary fire-extinguisher, the combination, with air andwater pipes and the connecting-casing having Webs project ing in theupper portion of its chamber, of a valve arranged in the casing, hookspivoted to and pendent from said webs and having beveled ends lying inthe path of the Valve and thus adapted to ride over the valve as itrises and engage the same to hold it suspendedagainst the webs, whichthereby serve as stops, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE VILSON THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

M; F. RooNEY, T. J. MOONEY.

